SSW Students,

As we approach the end of Spring Quarter, this is/can be a historically stressful time for many. Should you need a safe, welcoming space of respite, please consider utilizing the Counseling Center for counseling options (inclusive of individual, group, career, and/or crisis modalities).  We have been informed that there are openings starting this week for new clients. Note that the services are offered at no charge to currently enrolled students- thanks to financial support from the Services & Activities Fee (SAF)!

Those in consideration for the UW Counseling Center can schedule online or call 206-543-1240.  If you have immediate needs, Husky Helpline is available for same-day consultation with a counselor, 24/7.

SSW Specific Mental Health Support

Moreso, if you are looking for in-house support, Lev Cunningham, our wonderful Mental Health Specialist works to serve the students of the SSW. Please consider their offered resources, & connecting with them for a soulfully nourishing space of healing.

To learn more about other resources to support you in your academic ventures (wellness, personal care, writing and academic tutoring, etc.), please peruse through your Canvas Module 4: How to Survive and Thrive.

The SSO team hopes that you all are safe, well, and met with nourishment. Please reach out if you need anything!

That’s a wrap on our 2023 – 2024 speaker series from UW Forefront Suicide Prevention – UW Research.

We heard from subject matter experts from different communities and perspectives all focused on preventing suicide. We hope you’ve found their presentations as informative and inspiring as we have!

Every session has been recorded and edited for you to stream on-demand for FREE. Sessions in this series include:

– A Comprehensive Approach to the Suicide Prevention presented by Jeffrey Sung, MD

– Understanding Grief after Suicide presented by Charlene Ray, MSW, LICSW

– Aging Communities presented by Lesley Steinman, PhD

– Black Communities presented by Paige Gaines

– Perinatal Mental Health presented by Deborah S. Cowley, MD

Stay tuned for more information about the 2024 – 2025 speaker series by following us on social media (links below) or going to our events page.

This series was made possible with the help of the Washington State Department of Health. 

Apply for the UDSM leadership position available with the One Health Outreach. Apply here!

About the outreach:

One Health Clinics occur at a New Horizons Ministries and Nyer Erness. We serve unhoused young adults and their pets. UDSM students serve as patient navigators to improve accessibility of healthcare for the human and their pets through a collaboration with Neighborcare, WSU School of Veterinary Medicine, and UW’s One Health Center

Read more

On April 24th, the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Idaho vs. United States, a lawsuit which centers on whether Idaho’s near total abortion ban conflicts with the requirement for all providers to administer emergency care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTLA). 

Ahead of the Idaho vs. United States oral arguments, The Pacific Abortion Project, the Center for American Progress, Planned Parenthood and Doctors for America are partnering to host a reproductive health advocacy training on Thursday, April 18^th at 6pm PST. Learn how to use your platform as a healthcare professional to advance advocacy issues that are important to you and your patients! Please sign up here if you’d like to attend. Those who sign up will receive a zoom link the day of the event via email.

Read more: Health Advocacy Training 4/18

Many of the WWAMI states have restricted or essentially eliminated access to abortion since the Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health decision in 2022. These conditions make it difficult, if not impossible, for many patients living in our region to access essential reproductive health care. As future providers, we have an incredibly powerful platform to advocate for and against legislation that affects our patients, though it can be difficult to know how to participate in the legislative process when we receive little formal advocacy training. 

In the meantime, check out the Center for American Progress’ Storyteller Initiative, which showcases the voices of health professionals in Idaho regarding Idaho’s abortion ban, including two of our WWAMI Idaho students! 

The Pacific Abortion Project Leadership Team 

What is the Pacific Abortion Project?

We are a WWAMI-wide coalition of students across all years and foundations sites who are committed to improving abortion access and expanding abortion education for medical students. 

We started our project by building a website  that students rotating in WWAMI can use to learn about abortion care and access across the region. Since then, we’ve worked on various abortion-related projects and hosted virtual and in person events to learn more about the landscape of abortion care, medication abortion by mail, etc. and to raise money for our local abortion fund, NWAAF. 

Join the UW School of Social Work community for a healing circle focused on the ongoing injustice taking place in Palestine, facilitated by Haneen Ahmad, MSW, LICSW.  All students, faculty, and staff of the School of Social Work are warmly invited.

RSVP Here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=W9229i_wGkSZoBYqxQYL0k_FU8XLLbtProfwA_By87ZUQzlXUjBGWUcwREk2V1A3VTRQSThMVjZCNS4u

Together, we’ll create a space for collective processing of emotions, affirming the validity of our feelings amidst this crisis. Through mutual support, dialogue, and creative arts we’ll honor the right to our emotions and work towards healing in solidarity.

About the facilitator:
Haneen Ahmed, LICSW is the founder of Zane Counseling and an alum of the UW School of Social Work.  

Date & Time: Thursday, April 18th from 4:30-6pm
Location: UW School of Social Work 305A

Registration is now open for the Northwest Nature and Health Symposium on May 1 at the Intellectual House! This year’s event features eight talks, one moderated discussion, a student poster session, and the chance to connect with interdisciplinary colleagues who are interested in conservation and health equity. Registration closes on April 27 and student scholarships are available.

Nature and Health illuminates the connections between nature and human health and well-being. We work with the community and decision makers to translate our findings into programs and policies that promote equitable engagement with nature.

Our symposia are:

• Led by our core values of equity and justice
• An opportunity to cultivate your network
• Filled with inspiring seminars and panels from leading experts

Logistics:

• Date: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
• Time: 9 AM – 5 PM PT
• Location: Intellectual House, Seattle, WA
• Registration: Register by April 27, 2024. There will be no on-site registration. $100 for professionals, $40 for students with scholarships available. Lunch and coffee/tea service are included
• Questions? Contact: natureandhealth@uw.edu

Husky HelpLine

UW Husky HelpLine is supported through TELUS Health Student Support (formerly My SSP) to give students access to real-time, same-day, confidential mental health and crisis intervention support, 24/7, and in multiple languages.

Phone: 206-616-7777. If calling from outside the U.S. or Canada, dial 001-416-380-6578
Online chat: Chat with a counselor on the web or on the app
App: Apple App Store| Google Play

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

The 988 Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. We’re committed to improving crisis services and advancing suicide prevention by empowering individuals, advancing professional best practices, and building awareness. The 988 Lifeline website includes resources for underserved and underrepresented communities.

Phone: 988 (English and Spanish)
TTY: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711, then 988.  
Online:  Chat with a counselor remotely.

National Domestic Violence Hotline

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse. Contacts to The Hotline can expect highly trained, expert advocates to offer free, confidential, and compassionate support, crisis intervention information, education, and referral services in over 200 languages.

LiveWell Confidential Advocates – Seattle Campus

The Livewell Confidential Advocates provides a safe and confidential  space to help students, faculty and staff identify what they want or need after an incident of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking or sexual harassment has occurred. Confidential Advocates do not report incidents to the University. We provide safe places to help individuals understand their rights and options including what options they have for reporting both on campus and in the larger community, always with the understanding that it is up to the individual to decide if they would like to report or not. Speaking with an Advocate is not reporting to the University or police

Schedule an appointment
Email: lwadvoc@uw.edu

Violence Prevention & Advocacy – Bothell campus

The Violence Prevention & Advocacy Program offers free advocacy and support for students affected by sexual assault, rape, relationship violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual harassment, and other related experiences. Meeting with an advocate will not automatically lead to any kind of investigation by UW Bothell, Cascadia College, or the police.

Book an appointment
Email:  uwbvae@uw.edu

Confidential Advocate – Tacoma campus

The University of Washington Tacoma offers free advocacy and support for students affected by sexual assault, rape, relationship violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual harassment and other related experiences. Advocacy is a safe and confidential starting point for any student affected by these issues.  Meeting with an advocate will not automatically lead to any kind of investigation by the university or the police

Ever hold yourself to unrealistically high standards? Ever been unfairly critical of yourself as a grad student? Do you find yourself preoccupied with thoughts of perfectionism? If these questions ring true for you, below are some strategies that can support you in working through perfectionism, so you can be your whole (and best!) self. <3

Feeling Anxious

Perfectionism can go hand in hand with feeling anxious. For example, you may be preoccupied with negative thoughts like, “There’s no way I’ll write a good final paper.” This kind of thinking can be exacerbated in academia, where it can appear as though everyone else has everything figured out. To manage this, try re-focusing your anxious thoughts and instead say to yourself, “I am working on this project one task at a time, and that is more than enough.” We know this is easier said than done, and yet just like with any wellness strategy, it will take consistent, regular practice.

Fearing Failure

Ever spend too much time over-thinking the same paragraph without going further on a draft? Sometimes it’s fear of failure that keeps us stuck in a rut. As with any project, a way to move past getting stuck in writing is to set realistic and manageable goals for yourself.

For example, rather than spending a lot of time on a single paragraph, try non-stop free writing for 15 minutes. While you are free writing, notice any perfectionistic feelings or thoughts but resist internalizing them. Take a five-minute break. Do another 15-minute round of writing. Afterwards, you might have at least two paragraphs (and one or two ideas) to add to your draft. Doing manageable rounds of writing can help you see that you are making progress.

Resisting Perfection

The stakes feel high in graduate school, especially during times when feel like you are somehow “not smart enough.” In these situations, you may feel the pressure to constantly prove yourself. This is unrealistic and can negatively impact your wellbeing. While it’s important to be open to feedback and guidance from advisors and mentors to grow on intellectual and professional levels, it’s also important to practice radical acceptance to let go of the need to be perfect.

Accepting: “this is good enough, I am good enough”

There are many things that happen in life that can throw us off our schedules. Accepting “this is good enough” means honestly knowing that you dedicated the time, effort, and resources to complete a project given everything you have to balance in life — and then it is time be done with the work. You tried your very best and that is ok!

Additional resources:

• Coping with Perfectionism, University of Michigan
• How to Manage Your Perfectionism, WebMD

If you find that perfectionistic thinking is negatively impacting your wellbeing, consider reaching out for support. The HuskyHelpline provides all UW students with access to real-time, same-day, confidential mental health and crisis intervention support, 24/7, and in multiple languages. You can also contact your Bothell, Seattle, or Tacoma campus counseling center to schedule an appointment.

We hope these tips are helpful to you and let us know what has worked for you!

~UW Graduate Student Affairs

The Department of Global Health is sponsoring a webinar on The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza and Public Health Responses on Monday, February 26 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. PST. It is open to others across the UW campus and the community. 

The goal of this webinar panel will be to provide a more detailed understanding to the UW community of the public health aspects of the crisis and the role of global health professionals addressing current and anticipated health needs of the population.

Registration is required. **Once you register, you will be sent a link for the Zoom webinar.

Dear School of Social Work students (both continuing and incoming),

The SSW is trying to better meet the mental health needs of all our students and we’ve hired a .5 mental health specialist, Lev Cunningham,  who created a *brief* survey to ask about your needs and preferences for drop-in support, workshops, and more.  The survey is anonymous, unless you choose to write-in your information in the open comment field.

Your answers will influence the free mental health services offered by the SSW!  If you’re able, please take the time to let us know what you want and need by taking this short survey by August 6th!

And, there are currently services being offered this summer.  For more info and to learn more about our mental health specialist, check out this canvas page.

Thank you for your input!

—

SSW Student Services and

Lev Cunningham, MSW

Mental Health Specialist, School of Social Work

The federal government has temporarily expanded access for college students not previously eligible for SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) through the end of the pandemic.  To see if you might now be eligible, check the student eligibility info on the USDA website.

The School of Nursing is seeking Ukrainian and Russian speaking health care providers and students to assist with cultural and linguistic support as well as to represent those communities as a trusted healthcare provider.

If becoming involved with this project sounds interesting and/or is a potential service-learning opportunity, please click the link below for more information and respond to Tamara Cyhan Cunitz, School of Nursing – cyhant@uw.edu.

FSU Community Outreach to combat COVID

 

The AgePRIDE Center and SSW Faculty invite you to attend the biweekly Thursday Innovations in Aging speaker series from 12:30-1:30.

RSVP for 04/01 event here.

Join by Zoom here or by phone at 1-206-337-9723 | Meeting ID: 976 5911 8287 #

Wanting to get some Mental Health Support?  Resources!

UW Seattle students have access to a range of mental health and counseling support, including individual counseling, group therapy, workshops and crisis services.  Students also have access to free 24/7 services too!

For more info:

http://wellbeing.uw.edu/topic/mental-health/

Highlighted NewsBlackwell Seminar: What do we know about racial disparities in NIH peer review?
Previous research has found that funding disparities in NIH grant applications are driven by applications’ final impact scores and that only a portion of the black/white funding gap can be explained by bibliometrics and topic choice. In this talk, Elena A. Erosheval will start with an overview of the past research on racial disparities in NIH peer review. A seminar presented on November 13th, the full recording can be viewed here.

Recent Publications and Presentations
The Latino Center for Health (LCH) recently published a report on the Latinx Physician Shortage in Washington State, titled “Today’s Changes for Serving Tomorrow’s Diverse Communities: Increasing the Latinx Physician Workforce NOW”. The report is based on a study funded by the state legislature and conducted by LCH. You can find the executive summary here (Spanish version here) and the report here. More information about the study, including the symposium where we presented the study findings and discussed policy solutions, can be found here.

Current Research Funding Opportunities
List of all active NIH grant opportunities Selected Grant Opportunities
*Newly Added*
Diversity and Inclusion Seed Grants
Deadline: December 4, 2020
Proposals are now being accepted from academic and administrative units for transformative projects that will enhance the University of Washington’s tri-campus community. Up to $3,000 will be made available per project for the upcoming cycle.
Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program
Deadline: December 12, 2020
The Outreach Program is a community-based grant program aimed towards promoting rural health care services by enhancing health care delivery to rural underserved populations in the local community or region. Through consortia of local health care and social service providers, communities can develop innovative approaches to challenges related to the specific health needs in rural areas that expand clinical and service capacity in rural communities.

Competitive and Administrative Supplements for Community Interventions to Reduce the Impact of COVID-19 on Health Disparity and Other Vulnerable Populations”
Deadline: December 30, 2020
Research is needed to test community interventions focused on the prevention (or slowing) of COVID-19 transmission, evaluate local and state policies and programs intended to mitigate COVID-19 exposure and improve adherence, and reduce the negative impact of the multifaceted consequences on the health of populations who experience health disparities and other vulnerable groups.

Digital Healthcare Interventions to Address the Secondary Health Effects Related to Social, Behavioral, and Economic Impact of COVID-19
Deadline: December 30, 2020
In order to significantly improve near term impact of treatment and identification of individuals at risk for, or experiencing worsening health secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic across the full lifespan, supplements will focus particularly on NIH-designated health disparity (racial/ethnic minorities, less privileged socioeconomic status, rural residents and sexual and gender minorities) and other populations with medical or social vulnerabilities.

Population Health Initiative’s 2021 Pilot Research Grant Program
Deadline: January 29, 2021
This program is intended to encourage the development of new interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators for projects that address critical challenges to population health. Faculty members and PI-eligible research scientists from all three UW campuses (Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma) are encouraged to apply.

*Newly Added*
APF Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford Grant
Deadline: February 15, 2021
Up to $1,250 to support innovative work to support research focusing on the understanding, prevention and/or treatment of the consequences of exposure to traumatic events such as sexual assault, sexual harassment and/or rape.
Health Policy Research Scholars
Deadline: March 17, 2021
Health Policy Research Scholars is a national leadership program for second-year doctoral students in any academic discipline who want to apply their research to help build healthier and more equitable communities.

Research Events
Speaker Series: Leaders in Prevention Science
The Social Development Research Group (SDRG) at the UW School of Social Work is pleased to present a Leaders in Prevention Science speaker series to share the work of leading scholars with our colleagues.
December 3, 12:30pm Debra Furr-Holden, Michigan State University
December 9, 2:00pm Guillermo (Willy) Prado, University of Miami
January 6, 1:00pm Margaret Kuklinski, University of Washington Dates and time vary depending on the speaker’s availability. Each event is schedule to last no more than 1.5 hours. A Zoom invitation will be sent for each event.
*Newly Added*
Strengthening Relationships and Repairing Harm: A Paradigm Shift in School Discipline Practice and Research – Anne Gregory
March 3, 2021, 8:30am – 9:45am – online
Dr. Anne Gregory will discuss school and district efforts to reduce punitive approaches to discipline, decrease racial disparities in suspensions, and increase access to social emotional learning and restorative practices. She will further discuss researcher social positionality and ways of conducting equity-oriented research from the stance of strengthening relationships and repairing harm.

Fellowships, Internships and Job Opportunities
Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Professionals
Deadline: January 21, 2021
The purpose of the BHWET Program for Professionals is to increase the supply of behavioral health professionals while also improving distribution of a quality behavioral health workforce and thereby increasing access to behavioral health services. A special focus is placed on the knowledge and understanding of children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth at risk for behavioral health disorders.
MD-PhD Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease and Its Related Dementias and the Behavioral and Social Sciences
Deadline: February 3, 2021
NIA’s MD-PhD Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease and Its Related Dementias and the Behavioral and Social Sciences is designed to help strengthen the pipeline of physician-scientist leaders dedicated to using social and behavioral science approaches to addressing the nation’s challenges posed by Alzheimer’s disease and its related dementias (AD/ADRD). This FOA provides support to eligible domestic institutions to develop and implement effective approaches to integrated dual-degree training leading to the award of both an MD and a research doctorate degree (PhD or equivalent).

Conferences, Trainings and Workshops
*Newly Added*
Prevention Ethics
December 1, 3, 8, and 10, 2020, 12pm – 1:30pm – online
This 2-week distance learning series offers a unique interactive experience that provides participants an opportunity to explore the six principles of the Prevention Code of Ethics using realistic examples designed to strengthen participants’ abilities to manage challenging situations in their work. The learning series is structured to also provide online consultation, skill-based learning and practice, group and individual activities, reading assignments, and discussion on topics essential to application of an ethical decision-making process.
*Newly Added*
Effectively Managing Family Conflict: A Sample from Guiding Good Choices Virtual Parenting Program
December 10, 2020, 11am – 12:30pm – online
Many families are experiencing the combined stressors of the pandemic and the pending holiday season. Prevention practitioners are seeking timely ways to reach out to families with relevant tools, practices, and programs that are research-based and available in an online format.
Data for Black Lives Conference
December 11-13, 2020 Cambridge, MA
Data for Black Lives is a movement of activists, organizers, and mathematicians committed to the mission of using data science to create concrete and measurable change in the lives of Black people. But history tells a different story, one in which data is too often wielded as an instrument of oppression, reinforcing inequality and perpetuating injustice. Redlining was a data-driven enterprise that resulted in the systematic exclusion of Black communities from key financial services.

Call for Papers
Poverty, Inequality and Social Development: Innovations Around the World22nd Biennial Conference of the International Consortium for Social Development
Deadline: November 30, 2020
The global COVID-19 pandemic and numerous other social challenges have had devastating impacts on lives and livelihoods across the globe, exacerbating poverty, inequality, and other social challenges. We invite papers, poster presentations, and session proposals from practitioners, researchers, students, community organizations, and policymakers. The conference will critically appraise the social challenges of our time and advance novel

COVID-19
For general COVID-19 information and resources, go to The Huddle: UW Medicine and School of Social Work COVID-19 Information & Resources

Apply for an interdisciplinary occupational health and safety traineeship to enhance your understanding of Work Health and Safety. This new traineeship offers an opportunity for UW graduate students in all disciplines and professions to explore and consider how dimensions and contexts of work influence the health and well-being of populations and can better inform their own disciplinary research or practice. Trainees will be offered knowledge and skills to address adverse employment and working conditions, as well as methods to protect and promote health among workers. Trainees may be eligible to receive one quarter of funding for the quarter they complete their capstone project.

Program requirements
Trainees will complete two three-credit core courses, six credits of electives from a select list, and one three credit capstone project related to work health conditions.
All trainees will be required to attend the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training provided by the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (NWCOHS), with the exception of if their home degree program provides RCR training.
Trainees will also be encouraged to attend the NWCOHS-sponsored seminars and continuing education (CE) courses.

Applications are due October 15th at 11:59 pm to begin study in winter.
Interested students are strongly encouraged to contact the program director, Jenny Tsai, at jennyt@uw.edu for details prior to completing their application.
Find the application at https://nursing.uw.edu/programs/certificate/apeoh/
Please note you will fill out the Advanced Practice Environmental and Occupational Health Certificate application to apply to the traineeship.

Volunteer with University District Street Medicine!

UDSM is a student-run, interdisciplinary organization that strives to improve health equity among those experiencing homelessness in Seattle’s University District. We bring together health sciences graduate students with health professionals in our community to care for those experiencing homelessness in the University District by providing health services including basic first aid, vital sign acquisition and resource referral and navigation. Currently, UDSM conducts ten outreaches per month throughout the U District and central Seattle.

Social Work students are an essential part of our teams! We are recruiting volunteers to participate in outreach sessions (time commitment based on your availability) and for leadership positions (3-5 hour per month commitment). We are seeking grad student volunteers for all positions for both spring and summer 2020 and for the 2020-2021 academic year.

For more information on volunteering for outreach: https://udstreetmed.weebly.com/become-a-student-volunteer.html

For more information on leadership positions: https://udstreetmed.weebly.com/become-a-leadership-member.html

Please feel free to reach out to the UDSM co-directors with any questions: Marie Tobianski – mtoby19@uw.edu or Maria Nelson – mnelson8@uw.edu)

IMS is one of the Western world’s oldest and most-respected meditation retreat centers. We are dedicated to providing a spiritual refuge for all who seek freedom of mind and heart.

Insight Meditation Society

On Saturday, February 22nd training for any Black and Indigenous people and people of color interested in joining the global struggle for Food Sovereignty will be held 9 am to 7 pm!

The training will include a visionary fiction workshop to imagine the world after the downfall of Big Food companies, popular education on agribusiness and its influence on our education system, and an invitation to learn more about Uprooted & Rising.

The venue is very accessible and there will be childcare for anyone that needs it. If you have questions you should not hesitate to contact estefania@realfoodchallenge.org or text/call at 210-837-3205.

If you are reading this and are interested please go ahead and register here: bit.ly/unrseattle.

Here is the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/864540720665535/874438093009131/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity&notif_id=1581467812671206

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